Washing-machine



(Mom.)

E. CRAWLEY.

WASHING MACHINE.

N. 243,856. Patented July 5,1881.

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'Inf/.1f 81H01. JQeS'I 2 g N. PETERS Plmmummmplw. waxhingmn. llc.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN ORAWLEY, OF NEWPORT, KENTUCKY.

WASHING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 243,856, dated July 5, 1881. Application led November 2, 1880. (Model.)

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN ORAWLEY, a resident of the city of Newport, in the county of Campbell and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Washing-Machines, of which the following is a specication. y

The object of my invention is to provide a new, eiective, and economical means whereby, with the aid of a suitable liquid, raw material, as wool, Src., and fabrics made from wool, flax, or cotton, Ste., as clothing, &c., may be quickly cleaned and purified.

My invention relates to that class of washing-machines which employ a revolving cylinder as a receptacle for the material to be washed 5 and the principal features of my invention consist of such a cylinder in combinationA with suitable mechanism whereby the material to be washed may be subjected, while in said cylinder, to a process consisting in alternately squeezing and tumbling it.

Ordinarily in the washing of fabrics they are subjected to a rubbing movement, which rapidly abrades them and wears them out. My invention dispenses altogether with the necessity of rubbin g the material to be washed, and accomplishes the cleansing of it by the process of alternately squeezing and tumbling it.

Other features of my invention consist in the particular mechanism hereinafter described, which I have invented and selected to carry into effect the principal feature of my invention.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view, in perspective, of a washing-machine embodying my invention, a portion of the inclosing-tub and of the cylinder being broken away to show the interior construction thereof. Fig. 2 is a perspective View of an end of one of thefstaves, showing the construction thereof. Fig. 3 is a View, in perspective, of the end frame of the cylinder. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the plunger or squeezer, which operates within the cylinder upon the material to be washed,.the two layers or disks of Wood constituting the center of said plunger being respectively broken away in part. Fig. 5 is an edge elevation of the plunger shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a central cross-section of the plunger, taken at the dotted line a a', Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 represents one end of the lid of the cylinder.

A indicates a tub or receptacle for holding the cylinder and the liquid to be used in the cleaning of the material to be washed. This tub is supported in any suitable way-as, for example, by legs a-and is also preferably provided withasuitable cover or lid, b.

B indicates the hollow cyliuder,within which the goods to be washed are placed, supported at each end by ajournal, d, and rotating in a bearing at its respective end of the tub A. The cylinder is constructed as follows: The supporting-frames consist of end pieces, C, Fig. 3, preferably cast in one piece, and consisting, in general, of disk or spider D, provided on its inner side with a horizontal lange, E, and with partition lugs F, to keep the staves apart and in their places. Rods G connect the two end pieces, C, together. In the present instance the ends of each rod are diminished in size, so as to leave a shoulder which rests against the inner face of one of the pieces G, and that part of the end which is of diminished size projects through and beyond the piece C, and that portion of said bolt which projects beyond the outer face 'of the said piece being provided with a screw-thread, a nut screwed thereon holds thespider securely to the bolt and against the shoulder of the latter.

The staves H are constructed of such width that each of their ends shall closely lit one of the spaces between the partition-lugs F, and of such length as to t closely between theinner faces of the spiders or disks D, and the staves are then secured in position by means of threaded bolts, each being screwed into one of the holesfot' flange E, the holesfbeing screw-threaded. Each stave is provided with one or more longitudinal grooves, I, located on the inner side of the stave. Each of these grooves receives one of the fingers or projections J on the periphery of the ring g of the plunger K. Each stave has a number of perforations, n, extending from outside to inside, whose size and number will depend upon the specific description of washing to which the machine is to be applied. This plunger K is constructed as follows: The ring g has a lian ge, h, projecting inwardly from the center thereof, against which are placed the two wooden disks IOO L, bolted together in any suitable manner, and ,which disks so bolted are held in place by the flange h projecting between them. These wooden disks are perforated with holes m, eX- tending from side to side. The size and number of these holes will depend upon the specic description of washing to which the machine is to be applied. The perforations a in the cylinder are for the easy circulation of the liquid to and from the material to be washed, and the perforations min the plunger are conduits for the free egress of the liquid from the material being washed while pressed by the plunger.

The ring g is provided with the inwardlyprojecting eyes, through which the rods G pass when the plunger is in position.

Arms M, of any suitable number, project from the periphery of ring g, and at their outer end carry a thread, N. This thread may be either a right or left hand thread, and may be single, double, treble, quadruple, &c., as is preferred, according to the specific purpose for which the machine is to be employed. It must be borne in mind that when a double thread is employed each of the threads need not be in length more than the halt' of a circle 5 if a treble thread be employed, each of the threads need not be in length more. than the third of a circle, and for every increase of the number of threads there may be a proportionate decrease in the length ofthe thread. In the present instance the thread is double, and each thread is about the half of a circle, excepting that the ends of each of the threads lap the ends of the other, so that before one thread disengages from one of the female threads the other thread will engage the other female thread. The pitch of the thread is to be varied according to the speed at which it is desired that the plunger shall move and the degree of pressure with which the plunger shall press the material to be Washed. All of the plunger K, eX- cepting the threads N, is within the cylinder, the faces of the plunger being parallel to the faces of the ends of the cylinder. The arms M pass through the openin gs between the staves.

Where the end pieces, C, are spiders a disk of wood is placed against that side of each end piece which is toward the interior of the cylinder, in order to present a solid bulk-head to hold the material to be washed up against the pressure of the plunger, and also to prevent said material from falling out at the end of the cylinder. This wooden disk ts closely up to the flange E.

Various modes of making the female screwthread or its equivalent maybe effectively employed. In the present instance I employ three bars, I?, running longitudinally with the tub, one of these bars being fastened at the front side of the tub, another at the rear side thereof, and a third at the bottom of the said tub. Each bar, on the side of it which is toward the cylinder, carries a number of friction-rollers, It, each rotating loosely on astationary pivot fixed to the bar l?. The thread N fits between two adjacent rollers. The size of the'rollers depends upon the pitch of the threads N and the thickness of these threads, and the distance that the centers of adjacent rollers are apartwill depend upon the pitch of the threads N. The number of rollers to be employed will depend upon the length of the machine, a sufficient number being employed to cause the plunger to move from one end of the cylinder to the other.

Instead of rollers It, a series of lugs may be substituted for the wheels, a lug being used in place of each wheel, or a series of grooves in the sides and bottom of the tub may be employed, instead of the wheels, the .thread or threads fitting into these grooves. Conversely aline of rollers or series of studs following the line indicated by the thread or threads, as the case may be, may be substituted for said thread or threads on the periphery of the plunger, the rollers or studs tting into thev grooves last mentioned in the sides and bottom of the tub. The cylinder B is to be rotated by any suitable power. In the present instance the cylinder is rotated by a crank, T, afxed to that end of journal d which projects beyond the outer side ot' the end of tub A.

Any suitable way of opening the cylinder, for the introduction therein of the material to be washed, and for the removal of said mateA rial therefrom, and of then closing the cylinder,may be employed; butaconvenientlneth'od of accomplishing these operations is as follows: The staves of the present cylinder, as will be observed, consist of pairs of broad staves and pairs of narrow staves, the broad and narrow pairs alternating around the cylinder. One pair of these broad staves are held together at each end by two small arched pieces, S, (shown in Fig. 7,) which latter, when in place, lie everywhere closely against the periphery of the flange Fi, one of `the lugs, F, being cut away so as to let the arched pieces down upon said flange. One end of said pair of staves rests upon and is bolted to one of said pieces S, and the other end of said pair rests upon the other of said pieces S and is bolted thereto. This pair of staves is held down at each end in place on the iianges E by an eye projecting from the outer side of the .piece S, and which eye receives a hook swung from the outer face of piece C.

The mode in which my invention operates is as follows, viz: A sufcient quantity of the liquid to be employed in washing the material to be cleansed is placed in the tub A. The plunger being at the middle of the cylinder, as shown in Fig. l, the movable pair of staves or lid is moved to one side, and one-half of the material to be washed is introduced into the cylinder on one side of the plunger, and the other half of said material on the otherY side of said plunger. The lid is now replaced and fastened down.

The crank T is turned in one direction, and the plun ger, through the coma bined action of its thread or threads and the rollers It, is moved toward one end of the cylin IOO der, pressing up and squeezing the material to be washed between it and the said end of the cylinder. At the sarne time the cylinder is being revolved and tumbles the loose material present in the other portion of the cylinder, and thereby contributing to force the liquid through the material and thereby cleanse the same. The crank is now turned in a direction the reverse ot' which it was last turned, and the plunger is caused to approach toward and to squeeze that material which has just been tumbled, and which is on the opposite side of the plunger from that where the material which has just been squeezed lies, and the material rst squeezed is, in its turn, tumbled. These operations of squeezing and tumbling are alternatelyrepeated till thematerialis thoroughly cleansed,when the latter is removed and a new stock of dirty material introduced into the cylinder, to be cleansed in like manner.

rlhe plunger, it will be observed, is held in vertical posit-ion and slides with the length of the cylinder, from end to end of the latter, on the rods G, which rods also cause the plunger to rotate with the cylinder. Each rod G passes through an eye, V, attached to the ring g of' the plunger. The lingers J, shaped as shown, each fitting loosely in one of the grooves I, prevent any of, the material in the cylinder from working in between the ring g and the inner surface of the staves as the plunger moves back and forth.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with the rotary cylinder located in tub A,the plunger and devices consisting of a spiral extension located outside of the said cylinder' and connected to the plunger by suitable devices, oi projections on the interior of the tub, which conjointly operate to impart to said plunger a reciprocating movement within the cylinder, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

2. The plunger located within the rotarycylinder and provided with a screw-thread or threads,in combination with the tub havinga counter thread or threads, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

3. In a washing-machine, the cylinder provided with longitudinal grooves and the plunger provided with lin gers tting into said grooves,in combination with a device consistin gA of a spiral extension connected to the plunger, and a tub provided with a counter thread or threads,whereby the rotation of the cylinder imparts to the plunger a reciprocating movement.

4. The rotary washing cylinder provided with staves H, in combination with the plunger having arms M passing through openings between the staves, thread or threads N, located outside the cylinder, and tub provided with counter-threads, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

5. The rotary washing-cylinder provided with staves H, having longitudinal grooves I, in combination with a reciprocating plunger provided withingers J, and armsM, and thread or threads N, and the rollers R, combined with the tub, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

EDWIN CRAVVLEY.

Attest:

A. S. LUDLOW, J. WM. STREHLI. 

